Thread by @WittmanSullivan

Hey everybody! I will be Documenting this evening's Akron City Council Ward 3 meeting at East Akron Neighborhood Development (EANDC) at 550. South Arlington Road with #AKRDocumenters and @SignalAkron

Johnnie Hannah (City Council Ward 5) started the meeting at 6:01

The next Ward 5 meeting will be in March according to Hannah

See the information for EANDC's Winter Wonderland attached

An Akron Police Department officer the neighborhood response team handles neighborhood complaints, disputes, and homeless issues

The phone number for the community relations office [phone]

Shammas Malik (Akron mayor) said city Administration is going to every ward to talk about the 2025 Capitol Budget (that is being released later this year) which funds infrastructure, facility and equipment upgrades

akronohio.gov/departments/pl…

The Archwood waste transfer station issue is "not over" and that it is being disputed in courts according to Malik

He said there are ongoing talks With Waste Management (WM) to meet community interests

signalakron.org/supporters-opp…

A community member asked if there's a community service agreement for the new Archwood facility and the old Fountain Street facility

Malik said there is one for Archwood but not Fountain, but the city intends to have community service agreements for projects going forward

nationalequityproject.org/tools/developi…

A community member asked what's happening with Summa

Malik said he is working with Hatco and Summa to ensure that community needs are met

He said Summa's had financial troubles over the last few years and they and Hatco are openly working with the city

beaconjournal.com/story/news/loc…

A community member said there wasn't enough community engagement about the waste transfer station (Archwood)

Malik said there could have been more community engagement but there was "an awful lot of effort for the engagement that did happen"

A community member asked if there will be a community benefit agreement for the waste transfer station

Malik said there isn't one for Archwood, but it could be negotiated in service contract negotiations next year. This could include neighborhood infrastructure improvements

A community member asked for community engagement for the community benefit agreement when it "comes around"

Another community member asked is the Environmental Protection Agency is involved with the waste transfer station

Malik said they are not

A community member asked why Arlington Road was removed from Great Streets



Shammas Malik said he'd like to talk to the community member and he is not sure it was removed

He said the city is still working on Arlington particularly around Market Streetakronohio.gov/departments/bu…

Mike Wheeler (Deputy Finance Director) said the city has two budgets

Operating: Appropriates funds to 70 departments in order to fund labor costs, contracts, and facility maintenance

Capitol: multi-year investments that build new facilities, developments, and major purchases

He said the city looks for Federal, State, and Local funds

Issue 4 is a 2.2% income tax for fire police and roads

The 2024 budget was $365 million including:
$202 million state
$92 local
$64 million federal funds

Over $200 million of the budget was for water/sewer projects

He said the operating budget is over $800 million dollar budget, the largest expenditure is labor

Nanette Pitt (Chief Strategist) said the city has $80 million in discretionary funds

The rest is required funding (such as water/sewer projects required by the federal Government)

Pitt led an activity where different parts of the Capitol Budget were listed on posters and community members would place up to 6 six stickers on where they think funding priorities should be

A community member asked why public safety is discretionary and what about public safety isn't required

Malik said there are certain parts that are optional like building new fire stations and buying new vehicles